What’s the least amount of steps you could do in a workday?
When working remotely, it can be as little as a few hundred.
And while commuting and going out for lunch with your colleagues is not nearly enough physical activity, for some of us it was the only one they got.
We need a fitness approach for remote teams
As long as we can’t live in our bathtubs filled with matrix-goo and neurolink to work, we need to adapt to the new challenges for our physical health that come from working remotely.
What is different for remote teams?
- No social feedback
Our environment keeps us straight and can motivate us further once we start improving ourselves. But when we don’t physically see our team members it’s hard to recognize bad trends or see the improvements.
Getting a compliment for having lost some weight or standing with better posture can carry us through phases where we feel like stopping.
And getting a comment about having ourselves let go might not feel good in the moment but sometimes it’s the feedback we need.
And at least it means that someone cares about us.
That’s why even more than before, physical health and the work performance that comes from it, should be openly discussed in the team. - Video meeting culture
Back in the office, moving around was built into the workday. At least a little bit…
Walking to the tram, getting up to talk to a colleague, going to the meeting room, getting lunch together…
Being in touch with people was a chance to detach from our screen for a moment and return to the physical world.
Now the time we spent together is the exact opposite.
Instead of gazing around the meeting room, looking at different faces, and moving in our chairs, we are now locked into place, staring at the metal box.
Teams need to find a way to break up long meetings and allow their members to feel relaxed and move around.
At NomadStrong, some of our meetings look more like remote fitness classes, with our phones on tripods and us on the floor getting our movement snacks in while talking. - No in-office yoga classes
Most companies got the memo about how important physical health is for their bottom line. Bringing trainers or yoga teachers in for group sessions, creating stretching and workout rooms and generally cultivating a health-oriented work environment have become the norm.
But for remote teams, the solutions are limited.
Organizing challenges or shared fitness routines, celebrating each other’s progress, or just sharing more experiences and ideas about getting in shape can change the whole team’s health.
Ready to get started?
If you want us to create a fitness routine and culture for your team, book an intro call with me or Marlon right here.
